Zoo Days
by Kara Crane
Summary: Kowalski has a dream, a dream of an invention so great ...!
1. Marlene: A dream

AN: The first of the one shots.

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar do not belong to me, duh!

–_She was swimming. Up and down, left and right. She loved to swim. Another form joined her, mirrored her every move. No matter how she twisted and undulated, the other easily kept pace._

_He, some part of her just _knew_ the other was a he, darted ahead in a flash of black and white. He, Skipper, twisted his head and gave her a challenging grin before arching upward and breaching the surface. Never one to turn down a swimming challenge, Marlene followed. Bright light engulfed her as she sailed and somersaulted before splashing down. He was waiting for her in the cool depths, just floating there. As soon as she met his eye, he darted toward her at full speed. She braced for an impact that never came. Time slowed and her paw reached out. Her fingers caressed the feathers of his back as he angled his body and passed. She savoured the sensation of his feathers. Time resumed and he spiraled around her to the surface again. She leapt out and onto the ice. All around was a frozen tundra of ice and snow._

_She wasn't cold though. How could she be when strong, black flippers were wrapping around her around her waist and pressing her against a warm, soft ivory chest. Returning the embrace she rested her head on his shoulder and felt his beak begin to nuzzle her neck. Everything was so perfect, she couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so safe._

"_Oh Skipper ..." She purred contently into the solid muscle of his shoulder.--_

"Gah!" Marlene jerked upright, panting, eyes wide and wild. It took a minute before she fully came to her senses and when she did she buried her face in her paws. "I'm in over my head." She muttered mournfully before she sighed and got out of bed. "Of all things, why is it _him?_ Why couldn't it have been that perfectly nice otter back in California?" She asked the walls as she pulled a canvas out and set it on the easel.

'_The guy was nice, really nice, so nice he was a total bore.'_ A small part of her mind answered. _'Skipper. He's exciting, there's always something new. He has such gorgeous eyes, when was the last time you saw that shade of blue outside your paints? He's different ...'_

"Exactly! He's too different! Skipper's a penguin! And a psychotic one at that!" She grumbled sourly. That was the rub, there was this perfect guy and he was wrapped in penguin feathers!

'_Species is such a minor superficiality. That psychosis of his is cute, in it's own way. It's part of what makes him, him.'_ Her mind scolded.

"And how sad is this? He's driving me so nuts I'm arguing with myself and _losing!_"

'_There is that ...'_

Marlene groaned in exasperation before she actually looked at what she'd been painting during her argument. She squeaked as Skipper's eyes bored into her soul from the canvas. Hurriedly she covered the painting with a cloth and resolved to find a much better hiding spot for it later.

Marlene stepped from her cave and into the pre-light of dawn; knowing she'd never be able to get back to sleep no. Unconsciously her eyes drifted to the penguin habitat where Skipper was just emerging from the water. Suddenly he exploded into action, leaping into the air and with a deft twist and several flips sailed over the fences separating them. He landed in front of her in an attack stance before relaxing.

"An unusual hour for you to be awake Marlene. Is everything alright?"

She blinked. "Don't you ever knock?" Came her habitual question at the sudden intrusion. Marlene gathered her wits and crossed her arms in front of her chest defensively while doing her level best to look irritated. Within her chest, her heart fluttered at his show of concern. It took almost everything she had to smother it, it was just a stupid crush! So long as she didn't acknowledge it, it would pass and not threaten her friendship!

"So what if I'm up at and 'unusual hour'? It's not really any of your business, is it? No. It's not. But since it was nice of you to ask about my health, I'm perfectly fine."

Skipper raised an eyebrow, Marlene got the feeling he wasn't convince. He looke around her into her cave, as though he expected to see someone with a knife to her back.

"Well. Everything looks satisfactory here. Have a good day." And just like that, he was gone. She sighed in relief and leaned against a boulder.


	2. Skipper: A dream

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar does not belong to me.

To maximize the amount of sleep he was allowed in a day, Skipper had been trained to fall asleep at the drop of a hat. So when it was light out for he and his boys, he was asleep immediately

–_Block, duck, gut punch, spin, face opponent. This battle didn't have the feel of a life or death match; it was more like a training session. His opponent lunged, aiming low. He jumped over the amateurish move only to have a thick tail collide with his head and knock him several feet away. Righting himself with a deft flip, he dropped into a guard position. She, he knew his opponent was a she, tool on a common grappling stance and began to circle him he could feel the blood rushing through his ear canals, his heart pounding in excitement. He was fighting an otter, they were tricky, flexible fighters with supple spines that made them difficult, at best, to catch and restrain. He loved a challenge._

_His beak split in an almost manic grin. Shifting into a more aggressive stance he darted forward and swung around in a head-level roundhouse._ _The otter, Marlene ... Marlene?! Bent backwards, letting his foot sail over her face and grabbed it. Having faltered at the discovery of her identity, he offered no resistance as she put him in a full-nelson. When he twisted his head to see her face, she was smiling ear to ear and her eyes shone victoriously._

_Such an expression suited her, immensely. It made his heart-rate soar and euphoria filled him. _

"_You can pin me any day."_--

Skippers' eyes snapped open and stared at the back wall of his bunk. While it wasn't unusual for him to dream of fighting, or missions past, or even new training manoeuvres; never before had a civilian featured so prominently.

'_You've never fraternized so closely with a civilian before either. And look where you are now.' _A smug voice, one he recognized as his emotions, piped up from the crate he'd been taught to stuff it in during training. Emotions had no place in the military!

'_You don't believe that, not deep down anyway. Look at Rico and Kowalski, you allow them to have relations with civilians; and I know you'd love to 'tussle' with Marlene.'_

That was utter nonsense. It was peacetime, Rico and Kowalski were allowed their little diversions so long as it didn't interfere with their duties. And he respected the otter, nothing more. He was the commanding officer, he couldn't afford to be distracted! Skipper began his mental exercises and, stuffing the voice back in it's crate, tossed it in the deepest, darkest corner of his mind.

'_I'll be back! You can't ignore your heart forever!'_

Resolutely, he clamped his eyes shut and forced himself into a dreamless sleep. He and his team had drills at 0530.


	3. Marlene & Julien: Confrontation

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me.

AN: Four days after 'Marlene: A Dream'

* * *

BADABOOMBADABOOMBADABOOM ...!

Bloodshot eyes glared balefully across HQ as the airport-grade mufflers failed to allow the penguins any respite from Juliens' 'Boomy-Box' at full volume and then some.

Somehow, the infuriated scream of Marlene pierced the din; sending the four of them out of bed and onto the floe in a heartbeat. Poised in attack positions, they watched as Marlene flipped out of her enclosure and onto the walkway. With no threat making itself apparent, they relaxed.

Skipper narrowed his eyes in thought as he studied Marlene's posture while she stomped over to the lemur habitat. Her muscles were tense, she was hunched over slightly, her ears were pinned so tightly against her skull they couldn't be seen, her paws were balled into fists, her eyes were narrowed into slits and her hackles were up across her shoulders and down her spine. Where had he seen that level of anger before ...?

'_Denmark. It's Denmark all over again.'_ An imperceptible chill jolted down his spine when Marlene almost casually hopped the lemurs' fence.

"Skippa, shouldn't we be backing her up?" Private asked worriedly. Kowalski nodded in agreement and Rico regurgitated his flamethrower. Skipper folded his flippers in front of his chest and grinned. He loved having ringside seats to the dispensation of female justice and not being the one subjected to it. All hell was about to break loose in the lemur habitat. Hurriedly he leapt from their enclosure and motioned his men to follow.

"Negative. A wise man once said 'hell have no fury like a woman scorned'. Marlene is a woman scorned. Anyone unfortunate and foolish enough to impede her path will be dealt grievous bodily harm. Just sit back and enjoy the show boys."

"Julien! I told you. I TOLD YOU! NO MUSIC!" She screamed as her fist slammed down on the stop button.

"What? Why are you touching my boomy-box? I, de king, did not tell you you could be touching my boomy-box!" Julien exclaimed indignantly as he reached to turn the music back on. Marlene bared her teeth and snarled, Julien apparently had second thoughts.

Maurice seemed to realize the level of danger Julien was in, seeing as how he grabbed Mort and fled. Skipper chuckled quietly to himself. The self-proclaimed Lemur King had very little in the way of survival instincts.

"This has been going on for three nights now." Marlene rasped. "You've been warned, lemur. Skipper told you to turn it off the first night, you ignored him." She took one step toward the annoying mammal. "Last night, I warned you. I told you I needed to sleep, but you didn't listen." Now she was right up in his grill and he was starting to look a little nervous. "And now you've done it again. I haven't slept in almost a _week_ Julien!" Marlene finally snapped. With astonishing speed, even to the jaded eyes of the penguins, her paw lashed out and snagged the lemur by the ear. Painfully firm if Juliens' girlish shriek was anything to go by. She marched him to the stereo and took hold of the other ear as well.

"You." She banged his head against the black plastic and with every word she spoke she would bang his head again. Skipper could tell she wasn't using enough strength to seriously injure him, just enough to (hopefully) get the message through. "Are. A. Self-absorbed. Self-serving. Obnoxious. Little. Brat!" She let go of his ears and grabbed the carrying handle on the boom-box while he was dazed. Skipper, Kowalski, Rico and Private didn't envy the headache he'd have in the morning. Her free paw grabbed the scruff of Julien's neck and she was in his face one more time, hissing something to him quietly before letting him go. It was a threat of some sort, because Julien screamed again and scrambled away as fast as possible.

With a self-satisfied nod, Marlene made her way back to her habitat, stereo in paw.

"That, gentlemen, was a thing of beauty." Skipper grinned. Kowalski, having brought a video camera to record Marlene unusually aggressive behaviour, turned the camera off.


	4. Roger & Marlene: Comfort

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me.

AN: This is actually a re-write ending. The original ending was very OOC Roger, and certainly not as light-hearted as the others have been and will hopefully continue to be. But if you want the original to be posted on it's own, then say so. Follows Marlene and Julien: Confrontation.

(Sorry, just a quick little edit!)

* * *

It was another sleepless night for Marlene. He, like every other creature who'd been within earshot of the fight, had thought she would sleep the next twenty-four hours straight through. But Marlene still couldn't sleep for them than an hours.

It was time for an intervention.

He coughed politely from beneath the grate. "Marlene?"

"Roger?"

"Yeah. Look, I'm kinda worried about you. You haven't slept more than a wink since the argument last night."

"Oh!" She sounded embarrassed. "You heard that?"

"Marlene, half the sewer system heard. Sound carries very well in the stone tunnels. Why don't you come over to my place and we can talk about what's really bothering you?" He paused, trying to think of something to entice her further. "I've got fresh muffins ..." He added.

There was a tense silence before Marlene broke it with an exhausted sigh. "Couldn't hurt, I guess."

"Marvellous!" Roger exclaimed happily as he began pushing the grate up and open with his nose.

Walking toward his little hole in the wall, Roger kept glancing at Marlene worriedly. She looked worst than she had sounded. "Soooo ..." He raked his brain for a conversation starter. "I've got that painting you dropped down the grate. You know, the one of Skipper? If you'd just given me a holler I would have been more than happy to get it for you."

A faint fear entered Marlene's eyes. "The ... the painting?" She laughed nervously. "Oh that thing! You know, my place is so crowded I really didn't have anywhere to put it so I thought that you might like it. Brighten up the place a bit!"

Roger sighed inwardly. Marlene was a terrible liar.

"That was so thoughtful of you! It's beautiful portrait you know; captures him perfectly." Thinking he'd bought the story seemed to relax her, so he let it slide.

"It was the strangest thing, I woke up from a dream and... well ... I don't really remember painting it."

"Maybe it was a really scary dream." He suggested as they entered his lair. "Maybe some teeny little part of you wanted the guys there to make the dream go away. They're really good at making things right." He paused as he recalled the last time the penguins had 'helped' him. "Eventually." They were well meaning, but they didn't always get it right the first time. Or the second.

Marlene chuckled, a welcome sound. It ended in a heavy sigh however. "Roger." She began while he was getting the muffins. "Do you think it's ... alright to love outside your species?

'_Bingo.'_ He thought and handed her a muffin. She stared at it contemplatively.

"I should have known it was matter of the heart. I don't know anything else that can cause this kind of stress." He sat on the couch beside her and used his claw to gently tilt her head up so their eyes made contact. "Why should that matter? Love is love and pity the fool who doesn't understand."

Marlene blinked. "Really?"

"Really really." He affirmed.

"Thank you Roger! Thank you!" She squealed as she launched herself into his gut and hugged him.

Then the snoring started.

'_Thought as much. As soon as the worry was gone she dropped right off to sleep.'_ Gently he cradled her in his arms so as not to disturb her, though he doubted anything short of a jumbo jet engine in her ear would wake her at this point, and began the journey to the zoo.

"Psssst!" He hissed as he poked his head through the door of HQ. Skipper immediately jolted awake.

"Intruder!"

"Shhhhhh! It's me! Roger!" Skipper visibly calmed but still looked mildly irritated. Probably from being woken from a sound sleep. "Marlene and I were talking at my place and she fell asleep on me. Could you take her home? I can't fit in her place." He offered the snoring otter to Skipper; who took her with a slight softened expression.

"Can do Roger. I'm sure if she were awake she would thank you for bringing her someplace familiar in her vulnerable state."

"Hey, it was no trouble, really." He turned to make his way back to the sewers but had an unexpected thought. Stopping, he looked over his shoulder and saw Skipper tucking Marlene in on their couch. "You know Skipper, if you or any of the guys ever need a friendly ear, or impartial advice; my door is always open. Well, if I had a door than it would be ..." He trailed off and made his way back home.


	5. Skipper & Jojo: Recognition

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me. Jojo, however, does. So no touchies!

Through the periscope, Skipper eyed Alice the zoo-keeper and the carrier she was transporting. It was approximately three and a half feet long, wide and high, the door had metal bars and the sides had holes. It wiggled and shook as whatever was in there moved around. But the relatively small size puzzled him. Not many of the species within the zoo were small enough to fit in that container.

"Kowalski! Status report on the new enclosure!" He barked as his tall lieutenant came down the ladder. "Have they finished ahead of schedule?"

"Negative Skipper, construction on the Saltwater tank still has an estimated four or five weeks left until completion." Came the immediate response.

"Saltwater tank?" He blinked as he processed that for a moment. "Fancy fish then. General status, anyone due for a visit to the infirmary?"

Kowalski flipped through the notes of his patrol. "Negative. All animals healthy and accounted for. What's wrong Skipper?"

"Alice has a small, occupied carrier. I haven't yet determined what's in ..." He trailed off as, through the periscope, he saw Alice enter Marlene's habitat and open the carrier door once she carefully placed it on the ground in front of the cave and leave. "Salted sardines!" He exclaimed, the Rhonda fiasco flashing through his head. "Private! Decoys! Rico, Kowalski with me!" He dove into the tunnel that connected the two habitats with Kowalski and Rico close behind.

A shriek echoed through the cave as they kicked the grate out of the way and leapt into action. Or would have had Skipper not stopped them from separating the fighting otters.

"Skipper, what are you doing? Marlene clearly needs our assistance!"

"Look again Kowalski."

Marlene was fighting, putting every effort into defeating her opponent. The other otter, a lighter coloured female, wasn't trying to defeat Marlene. She was clearly a superb fighter who was humouring Marlene's attacks and goading her opponent by deliberately leaving herself open. Marlene charged again, but the other otter caught her in a headlock and gave her a noogie.

"Jojo! Stop! Jojo!" Marlene finally saw them. "Ahh! Jo! Leggo! My friends are here!"

'Jojo's' back was to them, but Skipper saw the hackles briefly go up before flattening again. He knew from watching the other mammals that hackles never went down that quickly. All their eyes narrowed suspiciously.

Jojo released her captive and faced them while Marlene smoothed her ruffled fur. "Canned sardines ...!" He inhaled sharply. He recognized this otter. And by the look on her face that recognition went both ways.

"Your friends, baby sister? Aren't you going to introduce me?" Jojo murred.

Happy, smiling, clueless Marlene had no idea of the situation at hand as she stepped between them and her sister.

"Jo, this is Rico, Kowalski and Skipper." She didn't see Jojo's nostrils flare and the sharp glance she received. "They're in the next habitat over. Private's not here, he's probably stuck with the decoys again. Guys, this is Jojo, she's my big sister and never lets me forget it." She sent the older otter, whose expression had returned to an easy smile, a sour look.

"Of course not. As your big sister it's my job to remind you of your place as the baby of the family."

"I'm not a baby!" Marlene growled and tackled her sister again.

"Tell me that when you can beat me _baby_ sister!" And the fight was rejoined. He could tell that Marlene had no idea just how outclassed in skill she was.

"Back to base men." Skipper ordered. As Rico and Kowalski jumped into the hole, he glanced back and, for a split second, caught Jojo's eyes with his own. Then he followed his team members.


	6. Skipper & Jojo: Rendevous

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me. But Jojo does, so hands off!

AN: Wow, three chapters! (2 Zoo Days, 1 Random One Shot) I'm doing well this week!

* * *

She was waiting for him at the bell, neutral territory. It had been quite the surprise, finding the notoriously infamous Skipper here of all places. She'd had a hard time getting Marlene to shut up about all the 'adventures'. Skipper and his new team had, unsurprisingly, been keeping a low profile.

Thinking of which ...

"You've got a sloppy team member Skipper, I heard his claws clicking as he got into position." Her smirk curled the corners of her muzzle.

"Duly noted." Came the desert-dry reply. "So what brings a high ranking main branch member of the Otter Clan to the Big Apple?"

Jojo mulled the question over in her head for a moment before deciding to answer; it wasn't like it was top secret after all. The only reason she was doing it instead of a pair of over-muscled grunts was that she wanted to check up on Marlene. And what a surprise that decision had turned up ...! "The Rats have been overstepping their bounds as of late. I'm just here to ... remind them of their place."

One black eyebrow shot up. "And little sister isn't to know." He added. She inwardly flinched, Skipper was as sharp as he was reputed to have been before dropping off the radar. In the short time since their 'introduction', he'd figured out Marlene's place in the family. There was no outward indication of this unpleasant revelation though. Rather, she glibly responded with a bit of news he likely hadn't heard while in hiding.

"Inquiries are being make in Denmark about the circumstances surrounding your ... 'demise'." She air quoted the last word and had the satisfaction of seeing a slight twitch from the stoic soldier at the implication within. It was by no means subtle, but for Marlene's safety she had to make sure he Got It.

"That's the game then?" He asked.

"Yup." She idly buffed her claws against her fur and held them up to watch them be painted by moonlight. "So you're making friends now-a-days. After Denmark, no one thought you genuinely capable of it. Masterful job, by the way, on that explosion. Personally I would have used enough to destroy at least two surrounding city blocks, but hey, to each their own."

"Something tells me you'd get on well with Rico." She knew he knew it was no use using codenames. Marlene had been very, very chatty that afternoon; to the point Jojo felt she'd been here the whole time with Marlene. Ah yes, Marlene.

"Maybe. I'm more concerned about my little sister. She has, unknowingly, placed her heart in a very precarious position." She glowered at the penguin, even though he seemed genuinely confused.

"Now you're speaking in riddles otter." He met her eyes unflinchingly. "This is between you and me. Marlene, according to you, has nothing to do with this and I wouldn't dare even consider bringing a civilian into this game."

Jojo snorted. "I'd heard you were the best, Skipper. But you have the same failing as the rest of them." She shook her head. "I wish I could be here to see your face when you figure it out. But I'm leaving at the end of the week, and I know it will take you much longer than that."

"We're getting off track otter." Skipper declared as he drew himself up confidently. "We never got around to the rules."

"The rules are simple. We stay away from each others' base. I've made my position clear to Marlene, I'm here to see her; not you. So don't expect any invitations."

"Don't worry. We won't. If it weren't for the Otter Clan neutrality, we wouldn't be having this ...enlightening conversation. You, Jojo, are notorious as well. I did some EO reading, I know what you do on assignments. I don't want to feel so much as a quiver when you finish, we have an ally in that sewer who would most certainly fall victim to your 'enthusiasm'." He did some air quoting of his own. She was unruffled though, she took pride in her mission-end explosions. He was right, however. She was the intruding party here, and outnumbered four to one. While confident of her ability to take them one on one, she knew she didn't have a chance against them as a unit. He was in his right to dictate terms. "What you see in this zoo _stays_ in this zoo. But that's a foregone conclusion, isn't it." His knowing smirk grated on her nerves. His continuing existence had to stay out of her report or all manner of trouble would fall upon this zoo. The things she did for her family! "Understood?"

"Understood ... _sir_." She growled, not liking the fact she'd lost control of the conversation.

"We're watching you." Was his final warning before vanishing in a puff of smoke and ending the midnight rendevous.


	7. Kowalski: Feel the Vibration!

Disclaimer: POM does not belong to me!

I have art! Check out my profile!

* * *

_I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT!_

The pounding, all-too-familiar beat thundered through the HQ and he scrambled to catch his racks of delicate tubes and beakers before the vibration carried them to the floor.

_I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT!_

The vibration agitated Rico's stomach juices, prompting an impressive belch (he estimated it at approximately 100 decibels) that brought up two bombs and a chainsaw.

_I LIKE TO MOVE IT MOVE IT!_

The coat hanger antenna atop the television, which had taken hours to precisely position for the best reception possible (no small feat given that they were in a subterranean concrete bunker), shook and fell from the top of the television; filling the screen with static and extracting an exclamation from Private.

"Hey!"

_YA LIKE TO ... MOVE IT!_

Skipper's house of cards had fallen apart. His reaction was expected and, for a moment, managed to drown out the obnoxious song.

"_**RINGTAIL!!"**_


	8. Marlene: Keeping Secrets

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar doesn't belong to me. Jojo does! If you want to borrow her please ask!

I have art! Check out my profile!

* * *

She could sense this somehow went beyond Skipper's usual paranoia. Jojo, well, Jo had always been ready to start a fight. What Marlene didn't understand was why they disliked each other so much.

'_I could tell you. But you wouldn't believe me even though I'm a part of you.'_

The 'voice' was back. Wonderful.

"Go away. I'm not in the mood to argue."

'_I know. That's why this is the perfect time.'_ Her heart fluttered as Skipper poked Jojo's chest, empathizing some point she couldn't hear. Why did this have to happen now? On Jo's second to last day here? _'You really should listen to me. I can answer a lot of these questions you keep asking.'_

"I don't even know who or what you are. You say you're a part of me, but I've never been so divided I can argue with myself."

'_I'm here in your heart. What more proof do you need?'_ For some strange reason, the voice was starting to sound ... different. Male.

"He's been acting strange all week, ever since your sister came" She was pulled from her thoughts by Private's soft voice beside her as he sat down. "She said something to him that first night. Me, Rico and Kowalski couldn't really hear it. No ears." He raised his flipper to the smooth side of his head. "Has your sister been acting strange? Kowalski thought Skipper might have caught something from her."

"Hmm." She put her paw to her chin and thought over the last few days. The only strangeness she could recall was Jojo insisting it was only right to return the boombox to Julien better and louder than it was before. That her sister had even known how to improve the speakers was something she had thought curious at the time. But everyone needed a hobby, and even with her fertile imagination she could not see Jojo painting. "Other than fixing up and returning Julien's stereo, not really. How has Skipper been acting strange?"

'_You and I both know she did that just to annoy Skipper.'_ Well, that was more in Jo's character than doing it out of the 'kindness of her heart'.

"Well ..." He started out hesitantly and she waited patiently. Marlene knew it wasn't in Private's nature to speak of someone behind their back. "It's the little things. When he does katas, his style changes like he's fighting a more flexible opponent. One that can bend at strange angles. And this party, he's certain it's a plot to deprive us of sleep so Jojo can launch a surprise attack. He say otters are sneaky that way." On seeing her indignant expression, he quickly waved his flippers to ward off her anger. "I'm sure he wasn't talking about you Marlene!" Private scrambled to his feet and backed away from her frown. "Ummm ... my turn to polish the ninjas! Bye!" He slid away on his belly as fast as he could.

'_Now probably isn't the best time to point out that things have gotten physical.'_ The chanting from the crowd finally reached her ears.

"FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

"You see Maurice, this is truly kingly entertainment! Kick that silly penguin's flightless butt!"

"No!" She exclaimed as she hurried down to the arena. Her sister could fight, but she wasn't near Skipper's level!

'_How sure of you are that? Looks to me she's doing pretty darn fine.'_ Her eyes widened and she screeched to a stop. The voice was ... right.

Jojo was not only holding her own, from what she could see, Jojo occasionally got the advantage. Watching her sister bob, weave and bend away from Skipper's strikes; Private's words from a few moments earlier floated through her head. _"...his style changes like he's fighting a more flexible opponent ..."_

Skipper knew.

Somehow he'd figured out an aspect of her sister she had never known. What was worse, her own sister had never even hinted at this level of skill! Somehow, she managed to choke out the words.

"How could you?" The fight froze at the hoarse whisper and the crowd fell silent at her question. "Jo ... how could you keep something like this from me? I expect secret keeping from Skipper! But you ..." Here her voice began to crack. "y...you're my sister. W...we always sh...shared everything. Nnn...No se..." She swallowed the sobs in her throat. She had to finish this! "No secre..ets. Rrr..remember?" The tears clouding her vision fell as she turned around and ran to find a safe place to cry. Jojo had been more than a sister! Jo had raised her since she was a pup! The betrayal cut deeply.

"Marlene!" Jo called. She shut her sister's voice from her ears and ignored the second plea. "Marlene come back! I can explain everything! MARLENE!"


	9. Kowalski: Seeking Marlene

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar does not belong to me! Jojo does!

**AN: There is a Zoo Days Poll on my profile! Depending on how it turns out I might stop writing Zoo Days. If you want me to continue, please vote!**

* * *

As Marlene's elder sister called out to her fleeing sibling, Skipper made eye-contact with him and flashed a silent signal with his flippers. Follow Marlene.

With a sharp nod he grabbed Private, quickly wove through the spectators and breeched the lemurs' wall. There he had to pause to scan for the distraught otter, and as he did the furious shout of Marlene's sister rang through the air.

"YOU! This is all your fault Skipper! GGRAAAAH!!"

Then the chanting began anew. "FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!"

Running at a speed he hadn't known otters were capable of on land, Marlene had vanished in the short time it had taken him to receive orders and grab Private. Unwilling to return to Skipper with the news he had lost Marlene (or go back at all as it sounded like Rico and Skipper had their flippers full), he set to pondering. Private, thankfully, stayed silent.

A few minutes of musing was all he needed to create a list of the places Marlene was, statistically speaking, most likely to go. The first of which being her habitat.

"Well. That was a bust." He stated unnecessarily while looking around the empty cave and crossing it off his list. His rarely used but extraordinarily accurate 'gut feeling' told him it was going to be a very long night. Private was poking his beak into every little crack and crevice before stopping at a row of paintings.

"You know, I never realized it until now, but Marlene is a very good artist. Do you think Skippa' would let us ask her to paint a mural on the wall?" Private looked so hopeful. He couldn't stop the scoff at the very notion.

"Highly unlikely. Skipper would regard such a mural as a distraction and an inefficient use of wall space."

"Shame, that. Look at this one of Roger Kowalski! Do you suppose he really does have a bright pink apron?" The picture itself was well done, Roger wore a chef's hat, a pink apron tied with rope and was holding a tray of muffins with oven mitts. His flippers snapped to his beak to stifle his snicker and released their holds on his clipboard and pencil. The clipboard clattered noisily on the concrete floor but the pencil, being cylindrical, rolled through the slats of the sewer grate. Kowalski considered his options. He could call for Roger to retrieve the writing implement and at the same time ask if he had seen Marlene, but checking with Roger about the missing otter's whereabouts was number four on his carefully calculated list and there were extra pencils at HQ...

That was his favourite pencil though.

Private, for once, seemed one step ahead of him. Surely an aberration was unlikely to happen again. "Roger?" Private called. "Roger, it's Private. I apologize for the late hour, but we have a spot of trouble and need some help."

There was a sound like a roar coming through the grate and Private jumped back a few feet in surprise. He felt no fear however, the long, enclosed, stone tunnel had merely distorted the sound waves from the yawn of a several-hundred-pound alligator.

The feather-raising sound of metal scraping across cement pierced through the area for a few seconds as Roger used his not inconsiderable strength to move the sewer grate aside and poke his head through the hole.

"Kowalski? Private?" He looked around. "What's going on? Where's Marlene?"

"That's the trouble, actually. Approximately five minutes ago Marlene and Jojo had a rather intense confrontation ..." Private interrupted him.

"What Kowalski's trying to say is that Marlene got so upset she's run off and now we can't find her. Did she go to you, by any chance? Have you seen her?" Private pressed. He shot an irritated glance for the interruption but nodded in agreement at the rather succinct summary. It was probably best, Private was a much more ... socially interactive penguin than he. Roger looked astonished as he processed the information, then concern spread across his features.

"Uh no... no she hasn't been by ..." He trailed off as a thought seemed to occur. "Wait, I thought Marlene and her sister were really close. They hardly stopped talking last night."

"Jojo has been keeping secrets, big ones. Marlene took exception." Kowalski remarked dryly before Private could open his beak. 'Exception' was an understatement; he was sure if Marlene hadn't been emotionally distraught she would had slapped her sister. "It would be greatly appreciated if you could assist us in our search. Also ... if it's not too much to trouble, could you retrieve my pencil?"

"Gee .. I dunno ..." Roger muttered as he ducked back underground. "If she's that bad, maybe it's better to leave her alone, let her come back when she's ready." He finished as he placed the pencil in the black flipper.

Kowalski examined Roger carefully, noting the unconscious shifting of the body and avoidance of eye-contact. "Is there something you're not telling us Roger?" Roger suddenly looked very uncomfortable.

"It's just ... well ..." Roger closed his mouth with an audible 'snap' and refused to say anything more. Roger was weakening though. He pressed a little harder, certain he could get the reluctant alligator to say something relevant to the search.

"Marlene is missing, anything could lead to her location and ensure her safety."

The uncertain grumbling ended abruptly and Roger brightened considerably. "Okay, there's one place she might be. You stay here and I'll check and make sure she's safe. Of course if she's where I think she is than there's really no doubt!" He vanished quickly from view.

"Roger!" He shouted.

"Don't worry!" Came the echo of the fading words. "His place isn't far!"

He and Private looked at each other. "His?" They repeated faintly. Marlene had a male in her life? One she felt safe turning to in her period of emotional distress? Who?

Roger returned a few minutes later and popped his head through the hole. "She's there and she's safe!" he exclaimed happily.

They nodded mutely. His mind was still awhirl with the idea that the otter next door had a suitor and wondering who it could be. Roger went back home, pulling the grate into place behind him.

Private came out of his stupor first. "Wow, Marlene has a boyfriend! What wonderful news!"

That most rarely used gut instinct became active, telling Kowalski that Skipper wouldn't like the news at all.


	10. Skipper: Finding Marlene

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagasgar don't belong to me! Jojo does however.

Bemused, Skipper looked at the tear-stained face of Marlene with his unswollen eye.

_She came here._ He thought. His men were scouring every pen, cage and habitat in the zoo on his order for this otter and she'd been here in HQ the whole time. In his bunk no less! His heart lurched a little, however, at the utterly exhausted look on her face. She was a civilian with no training to handle betrayal, especially one so close.

Unthinkingly, he raised a flipper to stroke her face; then he froze. _What was he doing!?_ Skipper shook his head to clear it.

"Snap out of it man!" He hissed quietly to himself and hardened his expression. "Marlene!" He barked, as though she were one of his men. "Wake up!"

"Uwa ...?" Came a sleepy moan as she struggled, and failed, to open her eyes. "Skipper?" A groan. "Go away, Skip, I'm not in the mood." She rolled her back to him. Skipper felt a wry grin tilt up the corners of his beak.

"Don't presume to order me around in my own Head Quarters woman! Get your tail out of my bunk and explain what, exactly, you're doing here!" He couldn't let his men come in and see this! That would make for some extremely awkward questions!

The following silence was broken by a yawn and the shuffling of blankets as the dark otter finally woke up enough to take in her surroundings. He watched as Marlene jumped from the bunk and flicked her eyes everywhere, confirming that yes, she was in his HQ and yes, she had been sleeping in his bunk.

"Y'know ... that's a really good question. What am I doing here?" One hand came up to wipe sleep-boogers from her eyes. "I was at Julien's party and ..." He watched as the memory of the evening came back. "Jojo!" Marlene exclaimed before she started pacing and snarling angrily to herself. On her second pass, she stopped mid-step and actually _looked_ at him. "Your eye! Did ... did _Jojo_ do that?" She sounded disbelieving.

"I know this is a fact you've only become recently aware of, but your sister is a very skilled fighter." That was the closest he'd ever get to admitting the female was actually good enough to blacken his eye. He had his pride after all.

"Riiiiight ..." She drawled. "Sooooo, back to the question at hand. Why am I here and not, y'know, in my own habitat?"

"Unknown. After your distraught departure I sent Kowalski and Private to keep an eye on you while Rico and I fought your sister. Once Jojo was subdued and restrained, Rico and I escorted her to your habitat. There we met with Private and Kowalski, they admitted to being eluded by you and that Roger knew your location but would not tell; currently they're searching the zoo."

He watched the emotions flicker across her face.

Concern, for her sister probably. A small bit of astonishment that he thought was the fact she had manage to outmaneuvre two of his men. _And boy would they be paying for being unable to catch a civilian!_ Then there was the briefest glimpse of relief. At Roger for maintaining confidence? Had she taken the alligator into confidence? Told him things that he, Skipper, wasn't aware of? _That simply wouldn't fly._ He resolved to make sure there was nothing important that Marlene was keeping from him.


	11. Jojo: Aftermath

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me! Jojo does however.

AN: This chapter is dedicated to my top reviewer **Drama sapphire** as a thank you for inspiring another chapter from my lazy-tail muse.

* * *

_--Slow._

_Why was she so slow? Why now? She had been winning! She had delivered Skipper a savage blow and put him out of the fight. There was only Rico and that chainsaw now, he had no style, just swinging it wildly and forcing her to dodge_.

_There was something above her._

_Slowly, so achingly slowly, she turned her gaze upward. There was Skipper. One eye was swollen, but the other, blue, cold and hard as arctic ice held her frozen. His body, spiraling like a stalled plane with ice-covered wings, plummeted toward his target - her._

_Impact. Blackness._--

It was the grandmother of all headaches, including the one from that hangover last year when she and Russ ... sound flooded her ears, derailing that memory as she slowly became more aware of her surroundings.

"... so rough?" Baby sister?

"She's a skilled fighter, very skilled. In the end it took some good old fashioned teamwork to take her down." Male ... Skipper. The memory of the fight began trickling in.

"'Take her down?!'" Marlene. Indignant. "She's my sister! Not some enemy spy!"

"Well well well, look who's finally awake!"

That was right, Skipper had blindsided her ...! Fury surged through her body and her eyes snapped open, determined to blacken that other eye or slap that infuriating smugness from his face ... only to find she couldn't move. She was bound head to toe, even her tail was tied firmly against her legs.

"Skipper! You son of a bobcat! When I get loose you better watch your back because I'll pluck you bald for this!" She snarled.

"You'll do nothing!" Marlene grabbed her scruff with one hand and she was forced to face her. Jojo stubbornly looked away, Marlene looked so much like their mother just then ... "You owe me a full explanation and you're not getting untied until I'm satisfied! Skipper, thanks for everything, but this is between us. Get it?"

There was that scent again. Now she knew for sure.

"Affirmative! Good interrogations!" And he was gone.

"It's not ...!" Sigh. "Now as for you. Go on, I'm all ears." Marlene gestured before crossing her arms in front of her chest.

There was so much she had to say, but ... "I don't know where to start."

"The beginning, who trained you? Why?"

She sighed, it was going to be a long night. Resigned, she started talking. "Pop trained me. As for why; we are the Otter Clan, we're a neutral agency that deals in the collection and distribution of information. At a cost of course. Clients come to us when they want information. In the process of finding that information, things sometimes get hairy. We need to be able to defend ourselves." The silence that followed was heavy, behind Marlene's hazel eyes she could see the gears turning and processing.

"And you never told me ... why?"

"Look in my travel bag, there's a photo in the front pocket." She watched as the photo was found and withdrawn. It was a risky gambit, one she'd wanted to save for later, but this might just get Marlene to untie her. The picture was unfolded and Marlene's right hand flew up to her mouth in shock. The picture had been taken two weeks after Marlene had been born, her eyes weren't even open yet. Their mother was cradling pup-Marlene, pops was looking down at the new member of the family proudly, and she, only a year old, was clinging to pops' hand, looking up at mother and her new sister. "Mother saw the harsh training I was put through. She didn't want that for you and she made it known that you would be a civilian, that you would be allowed to enjoy your life, be free to find love and not be stuck with someone you could barely stand." Her tone was sour. The male the Clan had arranged for her was, in a word, nearly intolerable. She envied her little sister. "That picture is for you by the way. I know your memory of mother is hazy at best. I've been taking as many assignments as possible on the chance I might one day get close enough to drop it off."

In a daze Marlene walked over and released her bonds only to throw her arms around her waist. Gently, yet firmly, she returned the hug. After a minute, Marlene mumbled something into her fur. It was muffled, but her keen ears caught it.

"You still haven't told me why you never told me about all this."

"I couldn't. You were safer not knowing. We deal with all kinds, some of them have few, if any, morals." The next period of silence was much more comfortable as they settled on the pillows. A sly grin crept across her face, now it was safe to needle her sister. "So. Skipper is it? Wouldn't have been my first choice, but to each their own."

"Wha ... what are you talking about? What about Skipper?" Liar. She'd raised Marlene, she knew her little sister was terrible liar.

"You _like_ him. And don't tell me you don't. Pheromones don't lie, and you were pumping out so much I'm almost surprised he doesn't pick up on them."

Marlene got defensive. No surprise. "Now look here! The guys and me are just friends!"

"Uh huh." Oooooh she was in deep. "C'mon, just between us."

Her sister hemmed and hawed a bit before caving, this had obviously been on her chest, rather, _in_ her chest a while.


	12. Skipper: Final Warning

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me. Jojo does, and so does Russel.

AN: Last Jojo chapter! From now on I'll stick to the regular crew!

* * *

The troublesome blond otter was finally leaving. Alice was on her way with the transport crate, ETA was seven minutes. Marlene had insisted he and her sister 'patch things up' before leaving them alone. The otter was tense, her eyes dark and tumultuous. A hiss of air escaped from between her teeth.

"The board's been put away Skipper." 'No games.' He mentally translated. Whatever she had to say, it was serious. "Your curtain hasn't fully fallen, the stagehands are going over it with a fine-toothed comb and the director is out-sourcing." 'Someone knew he wasn't dead and not only had underlings looking into it, but was hiring experienced trackers too.' Trackers, agencies like ... the ... Otter Clan. The realization had him instinctively lashing out, only to have both flippers caught. "A hunting wolf doesn't howl and betray the pack." 'She would keep silent, but only for Marlene's sake.' Their eyes locked. "The deep water is safest from the most furious of storms." 'Stay low, big trouble was brewing.'

Eye to eye they glared, taking the measure of the other. Skipper found himself, albeit grudgingly, respecting the mammal.

"We have a confirmed sighting! It's Alice and she's carrying a carrier!" Kowalski's shout broke the moment and he spared a moment to nod at Jojo. A gesture she returned.

"It's go time boys! Conceal yourselves!" He ordered before leaping into a pile of blankets.

Everything went without a hitch, Jojo put up almost no fuss while being picked up and placed in the carrier. The door was securely latched, although he knew if she really wanted out it would be no obstacle.

"Bye Jojo! I'll miss you!" Said Marlene as she stood in front of the door.

"Bye little sister. I'll pass along your regards to Russel! He misses you too! Oooph!" His gut clenched at the mention of Russel, making Skipper wonder who he was and what his connection to Marlene was. The carrier swung when Alice picked it up. "Watch it human! Live cargo here!" She snarled.

Alice left the habitat. He and his men emerged from their hiding spots. Marlene squealed happily.

"Did you hear that! She called me 'little sister'! I'm not 'baby sister' any more! Yes!" She pumped her fist.

"Sounds like she gave you a promotion! Congratulations!" He patted her on the back. "Who's Russel?"

"Oh, he's Jo's boyfriend. The one the Clan didn't arrange for her. They're kind of scared of him." That intrigued him. The Otter Clan was a fairly strong one, what could they possibly be afraid of? "Hang on, Jo left me a bunch of pictures ..." She rummaged through the pile. "Ah, yeah! Here it is! See, that's him!" The picture showed Jojo sitting comfortably beside a savagely grinning wolverine.


	13. Roger: Aftermath

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar doesn't belong to me!

* * *

With Marlene's sister gone, things had finally begun to settle down. Mostly. There was still a lot of activity echoing down the tunnels from the penguins. But that was still within the norm, for them anyway.

"Roger!" Was all the warning he got before a small, fast, furry blur became attached to his leg. Surprised, he looked down. "Thank you sooo much for not telling Kowalski and Private about, well, you know ..." Marlene chuckled nervously.

"Awww ... it was a no brainer. You looked really bad, I thought it best you sleep. So what happened anyway? All I managed to get was that you had a fight ...?" He trailed off, uncertain if it was wise to poke his snout in the family matters of others. Marlene waved her paw as if to sweep it all away.

"Ahhhh, it's all sorted out now. No problem!"

"That's good to hear." He turned and motioned for her to sit on the couch with him. "Anything new going on in the zoo?"

"Not really. Kowalski's doing ... something with his science and the rest of the guys are staying out of his way. Julien's still an obnoxious, selfish brat. Maurice and Mort are still serving him. Mason and Phil have really got their fur in a snarl about something Julien did, or didn't do ... and that's about it, news-wise."

"Wow, dull day then. No wonder you're down here." He gently teased.

"Hey!" She playfully punched his leg.


	14. Kowalski: A Dream pt1

Disclaimer: Penguins of Madagascar don't belong to me!

* * *

_-The lab was quiet. Eerily quiet. But that suited him perfectly, he needed the quiet to think, to work, to _create_. In front of him, his flippers moved. He was a passenger in his own mind, had no control over those flippers. But he watched as they reached for a blurry object that came into focus as he brought it closer. He, dream him, was assembling something. Kowalski could feel it all the way to the smallest of feathers that this was _It_. _This_ would give him immortality. Generations would look upon this _masterpiece of science_ and they would know that he, Kowalski, had created _It_. He would join the ranks of Einstein, Edison, Bell and Franklin._

_All he had to do was __remember...__-_

He had been working at a fevered, frantic pace for two weeks now. His schedule had been eat, sleep, work. Skipper, having recognized the expression he wore that first day had left him alone and ordered Private and Rico to do so as well. He was only vaguely aware of his surroundings, of the comings and goings of Marlene, the lemurs and Roger. During that fortnight, he had struggled to remember the parts his dream had brought into focus. Harder still was finding all of them, as some simply couldn't be found in the zoo and were, in the human world, extremely valuable. If Skipper knew the lengths he had gone to for one of the items, he certainly wouldn't have approved. But this was for SCIENCE! He couldn't abandon what would surely be the greatest invention ever for the sake of something as flimsy as morals!


End file.
